Cons about relocating to Mt. Lebanon area?? (Pittsburgh, Whitehall: lease, mortgage)

[villageidiot1]

Originally Posted by flutterbyu

Hi all,

My family is planning a move to the greater Pittsburgh area in June of this year and I have pretty much narrowed down our search to the Mt.Lebo/USC area due to a number of factors (location for both of our jobs, schools, etc). While I have come across an abundance of data regarding the quality of the acadmics in these areas, I am wondering if anyone has any feedback regarding how easy/difficult it is for new families to integrate into the communities. I have a daughter who will be starting 6th grade and we currently live in a smaller suburb of Boston (about 13k) that is very welcoming to new families; we moved here 3 years ago and she had no problem making friends/fitting in.

As everything I am reading about the Mt.Lebo area sounds too good to be true, I'm just wondering if there are any negatives people could come up with in regard to moving to this area with a middle schooler.

Thanks!

I used to live in Mt. Lebanon and have nothing negative to say. It is a larger school district and I would suggest moving during the school year. Moving to a new area during the summer can be a problem for kids since it is harder to meet other kids during the summer. The comment about "stereotyping people in Mt. Lebo as financially and socially overextended," is not something I experienced and sounds like a comment made from someone who never lived there. Sports are very important in Mt. Lebo for both boys and girls. Most kids in elementary school participate especially in baseball/softball and soccer. Hockey is also popular for boys and girls. Obey all zoning ordinances, don't put your garbage out before 6PM, and don't park facing traffic or overnight, and you'll be fine.

[Copanut]

I grew up in a lower class working town, the snobs were the ones that didn't work with their hands.

Snootiness is everywhere.

[Aqua Teen Carl]

Originally Posted by Copanut

I grew up in a lower class working town, the snobs were the ones that didn't work with their hands.

Snootiness is everywhere.

My family is very blue collar and since I have a college degree and am well versed with technology I've been called "fancy", "college educated", and a "snob". These are from people who don't know to check their email. It really does exist everywhere.

[ferraris]

Originally Posted by villageidiot1

The comment about "stereotyping people in Mt. Lebo as financially and socially overextended," is not something I experienced and sounds like a comment made from someone who never lived there.

I have not lived there; I'm sorry if my post implied that I have. My point was just that a lot of people in the Pittsburgh region have that type of non-positive mental stereotype of people from Mt. Lebanon.

[SteelCityRising]

I really can't offer up any "negatives" to life in Mt. Lebanon either. For what it's worth I'm a transplant myself (from Northern Virginia) and have lived in the city proper of Pittsburgh for just over a year. I've had very little trouble integrating here, making friends, and preparing to plant my roots, but that WILL be dependent, of course, upon how extraverted you happen to be. Greater Pittsburgh overall is a much less pretentious area than where I moved here from, and I'm presuming it's also a notch or two below the materialism to which you may have been accustomed in Greater Boston. As such even our most notoriously "stuffy" and "snooty" suburbs, including (but not limited to) Fox Chapel, Sewickley, Oakmont, Mt. Lebanon, and Upper St. Clair, are a step down from what you'd find elsewhere.

If I had to live somewhere outside the city or blue-collar inner suburbs (i.e. Sharpsburg, Etna, Millvale, etc.) I'd probably pick Dormont, followed closely by Mt. Lebanon. What I really appreciate about Mt. Lebanon is that even though commuting through the Liberty Tunnels can be a bear you also have very good transit service (the "T", which is just like you have in Greater Boston). There is a primary business district in Mt. Lebanon ("Uptown", along Washington Road), and there are a few smaller business district areas of about a block-long each. Vegetation and sidewalks are plentiful. As an urban-dweller I'd acclimate rather easily to life in a place like "Mt. Lebo".

I think Upper St. Clair has a bit more of that "Ann Taylor-clad latte-sipping soccer mom in the Toyota Highlander/Honda Pilot" vibe to it overall than Mt. Lebanon.

[hornet67]

I have lived next door to Mt.Lebanon, in Upper St. Clair, for 25 years, and previously lived 2 years in Mt. Lebanon. My two closest friends are very long time Mt. Lebanon residents, and over the years, I believe that I had gotten a good feel for the pros and cons of living there.
Believe me, the pros, far, far, outweigh the cons. It's a very clean, safe , upscale community, with a fine school system, and municipal services. Also, great recreational opportunities, including tennis courts, a municipal pool, and indoor hockey rink. St.Clair Hospital is just next door, and, depending where one lives, you can be in downtown Pittsburgh in 15 minutes ( non-rush hour).
The high school is being rennovated, and the botched handling of the project by the school board has been a bone of contention, but I believe that it's finally settled. School taxes will assuredly be increasing.
Home prices vary greatly, with most being on the higher side, for Pittsburgh in general, but they may appear very low for someone coming from Boston!
Also, plenty of places close by to shop, including South Hills Village Mall, which is very close, or The Mall at Robinson, and Robinson Town Center, perhaps 10 miles away.
You will may encounter infrequent misplaced 'snootiness" or arrogance from a few, but unlikely from long-time resdents, just younger, clueless arrivistes.

[hornet67]

Originally Posted by SteelCityRising

I really can't offer up any "negatives" to life in Mt. Lebanon either. For what it's worth I'm a transplant myself (from Northern Virginia) and have lived in the city proper of Pittsburgh for just over a year. I've had very little trouble integrating here, making friends, and preparing to plant my roots, but that WILL be dependent, of course, upon how extraverted you happen to be. Greater Pittsburgh overall is a much less pretentious area than where I moved here from, and I'm presuming it's also a notch or two below the materialism to which you may have been accustomed in Greater Boston. As such even our most notoriously "stuffy" and "snooty" suburbs, including (but not limited to) Fox Chapel, Sewickley, Oakmont, Mt. Lebanon, and Upper St. Clair, are a step down from what you'd find elsewhere.

If I had to live somewhere outside the city or blue-collar inner suburbs (i.e. Sharpsburg, Etna, Millvale, etc.) I'd probably pick Dormont, followed closely by Mt. Lebanon. What I really appreciate about Mt. Lebanon is that even though commuting through the Liberty Tunnels can be a bear you also have very good transit service (the "T", which is just like you have in Greater Boston). There is a primary business district in Mt. Lebanon ("Uptown", along Washington Road), and there are a few smaller business district areas of about a block-long each. Vegetation and sidewalks are plentiful. As an urban-dweller I'd acclimate rather easily to life in a place like "Mt. Lebo".

I think Upper St. Clair has a bit more of that "Ann Taylor-clad latte-sipping soccer mom in the Toyota Highlander/Honda Pilot" vibe to it overall than Mt. Lebanon.

Trust me, I have been living in these communties just a BIT longer than you have been in Pittsburgh, and the "Ann Taylor......" are common in both USC and Mt.Lebo, as well as Peters Twp. From personal experience, also in Fox Chapel ( except it will be a Range Rover, or Mercedes SUV), Sewickley. and Cranberry.
Splitting hairs, really, now that I think of it.

[XRiteMA98]

I have lived in Mt Lebo for ove 10 years now. It is welcoming and I think your daughter will do just fine. Sports and extracuricular activities are important. People are nice and warm.
In my mind the only thing that separates USC from mt Lebo is the fact that USC has school buses while lebo doesn't. These two school districts compete neck in neck in everything.

[Geeo]

Both towns boast a high quality of life, so it gets down to your personal preferences. Mt. Lebanon is a charming area developed primarily from 1920, when the Liberty Tunnels opened access to the city and it also has post-war developments. The nice thing about it is that it was built for cars, but the cars don't overwhelm it. Streets are narrow, some areas have garages in alleys, and it's a very pedestrain-friendly area with great architecture. It also has two very nice business districts. There is light rail service from Pittsburgh. Upper St. Clair is a much newer area with larger lots, much more car-oriented, and much more spread out. No walkable business district - everybody drives to the mall and shopping centers.

Both towns have a very vibrant community center and recreationoal facilities for residents.

[Garvdog]

The worst thing about living in Mt Lebo or USC will be the ridiculous stereotypes you must put up with from other Pittsburghers about how "snobby" your community is. It really is laughable if you've lived in any other major city, I think many Pittsburghers would probably think all of Boston was "snooty".